Occidental Faces a New Fight At the Top

Major shareholders of Occidental Petroleum Corp. are taking sides in an executive-suite drama that has split the energy producer into camps supporting either the chairman or chief executive.

The divide comes just two years after the chairman, 78-year-old Ray Irani, left the CEO job over questions about his pay. Now he is trying to push out his successor, according to investors and people familiar with the company's operations.